


The Timber Smolders, yet the Illusion Remains.

by MysaVkt



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace/Sanji/Law has equal weight in the story as Zoro/Luffy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, Asexual Monkey D. Luffy, Coping, Cultural Differences, Demisexual Roronoa Zoro, Did I mention this was a slow burn?, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture, Imprisonment, M/M, Mercenaries, Multi, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory, Possibly Unrequited Love, Prisoner of War, Queerplatonic Relationships, References to past slavery, Slow Burn, War, Worldbuilding, can be read as romance though I guess, they develop in parallel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:46:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27591554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysaVkt/pseuds/MysaVkt
Summary: “You don’t look like you want to be here, so would you join my crew?”  The man's eyes sang promises of acceptance, and it dragged out Zoro's foolish dreams from his childhood, dreams or his existence being acknowledged as a human being.In a rush of insanity he shook the hand of the boy with the bright eyes, and the wide smile, somehow deeply knowing that he would be led to the light by doing so.Or: The journey of the Strawhats and Allies if they lived in a world without ocean travels - a journey of growth, hurt, and love.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy & Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy/Roronoa Zoro, Portgas D. Ace & Vinsmoke Sanji, Portgas D. Ace/Trafalgar D. Water Law/Vinsmoke Sanji, Strawhats being strawhats - Relationship
Comments: 35
Kudos: 37





	1. Perspicacity

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a looooong fic. Buckle up for a long ride, fellas.  
> I wrote ZoLu thinking of a QPP (Queerplatonic Relationship) if you are not aware with the term feel free to check it out in the AVEN website (Asexual Visibility and Education Network). On the other hand, Ace/Sanji/Law are romantic (or eventually will be I guess).  
> I am not sure if I will include smut in this fic. If I do so, I will probably increase the rating.  
> um... that's all for now folks! Enjoy!

**Act One**

* * *

Perspicacity [ pur-spi-kas-i-tee ]:

_noun_

  1. keenness of mental perception and understanding; discernment; penetration.
  2. Archaic: keen vision.



* * *

It was his eyes; Bright in the midst of Zoro’s monochrome reality, that first made Zoro’s eyes drift in his direction.

He had been habitually following his battle instincts, slicing enemies with his two-sword style - his opponents were not worthy of being sliced by all his three blades. 

Eyes following enemy movements, body turning, swinging and moving forward, his mind had been entirely blank. Every battle was the same, and every single day was identical to the rest of the days that made up his life. He woke up, trained, ate, slept and fought, and that is how his existence was appreciated the most by others. 

In this war he didn't particularly care which side was more righteous. He didn't even care about the reward he would later receive as a mercenary. He only needed the adrenaline rush of battle that made him feel alive. 

Therefore, he wasn’t one to take in appearances in battle. Nevertheless, the small frame of the enemies’ captain was unusual enough to register in his mind even in the middle of his sword swing.

He was small, yet he effortlessly wielded the largest mace Zoro had ever encountered on the battlefield. He was carrying such a large weapon and yet the boy -he looked too young to be a man- swinged the steel with agility and grace that most warriors lacked. He quickly ran, taking down dozens of Trykelians at the time, and jolted back to his basic fighting stand in speeds that should simply not be possible for someone so young and thin.

Zoro had grown up on battlefields, fighting with swords that weighted more than children his age could _carry_ —never mind swing. He had seen towering warriors with monstrous strength fall by people more swift in light armor, but strength and speed combined was something much more rare.

Skill was what had originally drawn his attention, but the boy inside was what kept it there. He carried the sigil of Ranko on his chest, a country which was known for its cruel and cold disposition. Yet, he saw him aiming for legs and arms, striking for incapacitation rather than eventual death. The injuries on that boy’s opponents always balanced the tightrope between “able to survive battle” and “unable to take on non-attackers”. He gracefully aided his side to victory but at the same time was careful to attain the minimum possible death count on both sides.

When the battle temporarily ended for the night, Zoro remained awake for hours. His mind was full with a strikingly deadly mace accompanied by wide innocent eyes that were attentive and glued to his opponent’s every move.

He didn’t know if he ever wanted to be on the receiving end of such a gaze, but the adrenaline in his veins singed in the prospect of a challenge.

* * *

Zoro’s incompetent allies were being defeated one by one. The mercenaries were hanging on better, but everyone on Zoro’s side knew by now that this was a losing battle. In a while the mercenaries would start retreating -not being stupid enough to recklessly lose their lives in this place- and the victory of the Torelians would be established.

Zoro joined in for a thrill, but this could hardly count as one. The only competent enough fighters in this field were the ones bearing the sigil of Rakno’s army. They were allies of the Torelians and were also the ones leading this battle to victory.

As he sliced through scores upon scores of Torelians, he was bored out of his mind, yet still vigilant to not get killed in the throes of battle. His third sword was still sheathed and Zoro could practically feel it thrumming with reserved bloodlust. 

_This isn't even a proper work-out,_ he decided, as he was about to make a quick escape out of this field so that he could drink his disappointment away. He had just finished dealing with some Raknorians, but before he could put away his swords he heard approaching footsteps from his left.

“What are you doing to my nakama, you jerk?” The words rushed through the air between himself and the running captain, and turned just in time to block the upcoming mace from making contact with his hip.

He barely had time to react to the blow that transferred through the metal of his blades before the next one was coming his way, this time directed to his right elbow. He crossed his swords and shouldered the strike. The force of his strike would have made him drop his swords, had he been a regular soldier. 

Zoro felt more awake than he had been in _years._

This was the challenge he had been looking for. He grinned widely as he jumped back and unsheathed his third sword in an instant. He placed it in his mouth and prepared for the boy’s next attack.

The thin boy was definitely taller than he looked from far away the day before. His physique was deceiving, Zoro realized, as from up close he didn’t look that much younger than himself. 

This time Zoro attacked first, spinning around his three blades with hard-earned grace. He only managed to graze the captain's helmet when the boy ducked and backflipped to increase the distance between them.

His eyes had widened just by laying his eyes on Zoro’s three-sword stance and he was practically glowing after witnessing the swordsman's technique first hand. The intense calculating gaze that had been locked onto him was shattered.

“You fight with three swords?” A child-like glee and wonder took over every feature on his face, “That’s so cool!” He exclaimed and Zoro was too dumbfounded to do anything but stare as the other strapped his mace on his belt and extended his hand toward him.

Zoro instinctively took a step back. 

“You don’t look like you want to be here, so would you join my crew?” The grin that was flashed alongside the words stirred something in Zoro.

“And why should I switch sides?” He uttered after several moments of silence.

The man in front of him tilted his head like he didn’t understand the question. “You just look like you want that.”

In that moment, Zoro was running on nothing but instinct and the insane notion of honor. Something that had hardened in Zoro, so much that he stopped taking notice of its existence, that something now came to life once again. It was hope: Hope for living an honorable life and hope for living beyond the thrills of adrenaline on the battlefield. 

What had awakened once again was his hope of becoming human.

He didn’t know the first thing about being human in all the sense of the word, though. He swallowed down the emotion that was previously welling up and did not address it any further in his mind.

“I don’t want anything to do with you” He paused. “I don’t even know you.”

The captain removed his helmet, revealing black locks of hair squashed down with the hard-earned sweat of battle. He somehow grinned even more widely, “I am Monkey D. Luffy and I will become the most free man in the world!” He exclaimed.

To this day he doesn’t know what made him believe him so wholeheartedly within five minutes of interaction and a simple uttered wish.

Had he been so desperate as to accept any crump of kindness? How long had it been since someone directed a smile in his general direction? 

The man's eyes sang promises of acceptance, and it dragged out Zoro's foolish dreams from his childhood, dreams or his existence being acknowledged as a human being. 

In a rush of insanity he shook the hand of the boy with the bright eyes, and the wide smile, somehow knowing that he would be led to the light by doing so.

* * *

In the temporary encampment of the Rankorians in Toriel, right outside the city of Torino, medics were rushing around to tend to the injured of the battle, a sight familiar to Zoro.

He was still in a state of shock from the events that occurred about an hour before. Logically, he knew he was being naive in following someone he only met twice and abandoning his mercenary group. Nevertheless, Zoro has never been one to rely on logic. He often let his instincts take control of his actions and he was still alive because of it.

Thus, he went along with the captain’s whim and was now being shown around the camp. To Zoro, it looked like any other military camp. Tents were set in rows and makeshift beds had been spread on the ground for the multitude of injured people that could not fit in the tents. Even in an injured state, people were still speaking to each other relatively lividly, which created a constant background noise of conversation.

Upon noticing the presence of Zoro besides their captain, many soldiers who recognized him from battle stilled. That made others increasingly curious and before long the buzzing of conversation had ceased almost entirely.

The swordsman was used to the attention, his green hair and skill in the battlefield earning him a lot of curious and scornful looks. He knew how to manage them. He let his hand rest on his swords and gripped their hilts. Instead of scaring the on-lookers away, though, it only added some worry in their stares.

Zoro frowned. What idiots, who had seen the difference in strength between themselves and Zoro, cared about their captain’s wellbeing more than their own lives? Most soldiers were looking for every opportunity to get out of war and back to their families, but these warriors seemed to be extremely devoted. It was as strange as the captain’s personality.

“-and this is the dining tent!” The raven-haired warrior continued his rumbling with renewed enthusiasm. “We are going to stop the tour of the camp for now. I am hungry!” Without waiting to listen to Zoro's response he sprinted towards the tent yelling ‘Sanjiii! Fooood!’ on his way.

Baffled about what he was supposed to do, Zoro followed the captain into the tent. In contrast to the identical rectangle-shaped tents of the rest of the camp, the dining space was under a circular tent, making it stand out from the rest. The inside of the tent was filled with wooden tables and decorations, which seemed too home-like for a temporary war residence. It was like the people occupying the camp took special care to make the place seem cozy and welcoming.

Zoro was used to being thrown a plate of food and eating his share in isolation from the others, so eating with his back exposed like this was bound to be an experience he wanted to avoid. Nevertheless, his curiosity about this strange band of soldiers seemed to stream endlessly from his soul, so he begrudgingly made his way to the serving station.

A blond man, who seemed to be around his age, with long hair tied to a ponytail that reached his shoulder blades, was piling a mountain of food onto the captain’s tray, hiding his amusement with some faked scolding about ‘Luffy’ spending all the rations. What idiot who had an ounce of self preservation called his captain by his first name, and reprimanded him so casually? Had the soldiers no respect for the battle-genius that was their captain?

When Zoro moved to stand next to the black-haired man, the blond’s expression changed. His one eye that was not covered by a long fringe narrowed as he seemed to be evaluating him. “And who are you supposed to be?” He asked almost threateningly. 

His tone irritated Zoro in newfound ways. His grip on Wado tightened to an impossible degree as he glared back at the cook, accepting his challenge. Before anything could escalate, though, the black haired man cheerfully replied. “Sanji, this is Zoro, our new crew-mate!” He exclaimed.

“Our new- what?!” The blond’s -Sanji’s- eyes widened before his palm covered his face in exasperation. “Did you at least ask him this time?” He sighed in a way that suggested that this was a relatively common occurrence.

“Sure I did!” The younger man defended. “Tell him, Zoro!”

“Your captain did ask me... after he tried to kill me.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill you- just injure you.” The captain pouted, and Zoro realized how ridiculous this all was. A captain was asking a former mercenary to defend him in front of his cook. Zoro was officially gone. The boat of his previous life had left the port and there was no going back. “-and call me Luffy. ‘Commander’ sounds lame.” 

He, for the life of him, didn’t know what had urged him to follow Luffy that day. What he did know was that nothing would ever be the same again.


	2. Inquisition

Inquisition [ in-kwuh-zish-uhn, ing- ]:

_ noun _

  1. the act of inquiring; inquiry; research.
  2. an investigation, or process of inquiry.
  3. any harsh, difficult, or prolonged questioning.



* * *

“Luffy! I told you to head straight towards the infirmary after every battle!” A slightly high pitched voice sounded from across the dining tent.

“But I just have to eat a little and I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not how Medicine works!” An exasperated teanager with matted brown hair and a lean frame yelled at the captain. Upon closer inspection, he could see the ends of a tattoo peeking out from the neckline of the teenager's white coat, though he couldn't piece together what shape the black ink was representing. The presence of inked skin was curious but not exactly unusual. 

His features seemed almost delicate, but something about the way he moved indicated that he could hold himself in a fight. Even the blond cook from earlier looked like a fighter. Did everyone in this camp, regardless of their positions learn advanced combat techniques? It was, indeed, strange, but Zoro was quickly learning that everything about his new life would be above an expected level of weirdness.

The young doctor rushed to bandage the capt- Luffy’s grazes from the battle that had finished only a couple of hours ago. Only when every single drop of blood was cleaned and every flesh wound was covered did the young doctor register his presence. He was startled by Zoro’s constant frown, so he let out a yelp and hid behind the black haired man.

“Who is that?” He asked fearfully. Zoro sighed. He decided that since he followed this captain out of his own will, he wouldn’t do things half-way. 

“I am Zoro. I just joined.” He tried to sound as non-threatening as he could handle, but that didn’t seem to reassure the teenager. He extended his hand towards him and the young doctor simply stared at it for a few seconds.

“I- I am Tony Tony Chopper” his face contorted in thought, like he wanted to add something else but as he inspected Zoro’s arm more closely his eyes widened. “You are injured!”

He quickly got to work despite Zoro’s protests and soon enough he was as heavily bandaged as Luffy was. The pieces of white fabric restricted Zoro’s movements in the case of a sudden battle, but he would let it slide. He didn’t abandon his mercenary group to come here and make enemies out of his new comrades. 

“Thank you for patching me up. You did a great job at it.” He said instead.

“Compliments won’t get you anywhere in this place, you bastard.” These were the words that flew out of his mouth, but his lips were pulled into a grin so wide that it forced his eyes shut and made the blush on his cheeks less noticeable. Zoro shrugged and decided not to dwell on it. Everyone in this camp was weird and he simply had to accept things for how they were.

The young doctor quickly rushed off after that, saying something about tending to more patients.

Rolling with every new situation thrown his way, Zoro continued eating throughout the mayhem of food stealing and loud conversations. At some point, Luffy had attempted to take a piece of bread from Zoro’s tray, but he slapped that hand away. Zoro respected the man, but in this world one had to protect their food with all their might if they were going to survive for long.

Many stopped by and greeted the captain, but Zoro didn’t pay them any mind. He was not interested in anything other than finishing his food, so he could go train. What made him lift his head from his plate was the arrival of an orange-haired woman.

She seemed almost like a vengeful spirit on her way and all but ran towards their table. The captain seemed to instantly notice it too, as he stuffed the last of his meat in his mouth like he was protecting it from an upcoming attack. The woman stopped by their table and crossed her arms as she inspected Zoro’s appearance.

“Didn’t I tell you not to make friends with the enemy?” She asked the captain, in place of a greeting. “Everyone is talking about the swordsman with the Trykel sigil on his armor.”

“Zoro is strong, though.” Luffy beamed at her and she took a moment to glare at him before her expression melted into pure exhaustion. 

“There is no way I will be changing your mind, huh?” She sighed. Zoro almost felt sorry for her. 

Luffy was a powerful warrior, but the more time Zoro spent on this camp the more he saw that he was also a person defined by unpredictability. While that quality can be useful in a fight, it must make the lives of others in his crew difficult on a daily basis. Always having to adapt their plans to new situations, the soldiers in this encampment seemed to accept their lack of ability to predict their captain’s actions.

“The least you can do is make sure he is not a spy.” She argued as she stared at Zoro in suspicion.

Luffy turned towards Zoro. “Are you a spy?”

“No.” 

Luffy turned back to the woman again. “See? Zoro is a good guy!”

The red-haired took a deep breath, but seemed to struggle not to slam her palm on her face. Zoro wouldn’t blame her. She finally sat on the table on the side opposite of Zoro and lifted her elbows to rest her head on her crossed fingers. 

For a while, she seemed to sustain some kind of discussion with the captain, about supply runs and battle strategies. At some ridiculous enough suggestion, she actually smacked him on the head with the back of her hand and he whined as he rubbed at the point of impact. Zoro sheathed at the disrespect.

His grip on his sword was so tight that his knuckles turned white. Luffy glanced in his direction, frowned a little but otherwise ignored his behavior.

After some time, a young soldier came rushing in the dining tent. She took a moment to look around and when she spotted Nami, she run in their direction. Panting, she handed over a folded piece of paper. "It's a message from Torelian commander Dalom." The soldier explained as she tried to calm her erratic breathing. 

In the duration of reading the letter, Nami nodded to herself and got up to leave. "It seems like our next location has been decided, captain. I will be going to make the necessary arrangements." She addressed Luffy and after a brief confirmation from her captain she left the tent. 

What had occurred before the arrival of the soldier wasn’t brought up until Nami was long gone and they were finishing up their food. His eyes, drained from all the previous carefree attitude, glinted with the seriousness he had first witnessed in battle the day before.

“You don’t have to defend me from my own crew, you know” Luffy said some time later.

Zoro froze but did not respond. “She disrespected you.” He simply stated.

“We do not follow typical rules around here. The crew is my family and they are allowed to act that way. You should also act around me as you feel like.” He smiled and finally left the tent, leaving Zoro’s mind in utter turmoil.

* * *

Her eyes gained an interrogative glint, as she narrowed them. 

“Why did you accept our captain’s offer to join?”

After dinner, Luffy had shown him to his personal tent. It was small but Rankorians weren’t known for living in luxury, so it was to be expected. As he exited his tent to walk to a more open area and get some training done, that orange-haired woman cornered him leading him to an area between tents, obscuring their encounter.

Zoro crossed his arms across his chest defensively. “What’s it to you, woman?”

“I’ll charge you 100 Mara for every unanswered question.” She glared at him.

“Why should I do what you say? I only listen to people I respect.” He glared back at her.

“Is that why you followed Luffy? Because you respect him?” She seemed unwilling to accept that as an answer. “You don’t even know him.”

“I don’t need to. You can learn a lot by the way someone fights.”

“Where did you come from?”

“A mercenary group.”

“That’s not what I meant.” She deadpanned. “Where did you grow up, before joining the mercenaries?”

Memories of his childhood were never pleasant to remember and he definitely wouldn’t share them with a stranger like Nami. Unconsciously his grip on his swords tightened again, this time in defense from phantom dangers that had long passed.

When his finger traveled to Wado’s guard, a dart flew in his direction from somewhere in his right, which he detected with the corner of his eye.

He turned and cut the flying object in half, before it had the chance to latch onto his throat. He saw a person blocking the passing between Zoro and the exit, crossbow out on his hands. His hair was black and fluffy, and he had a distinctly long nose. When he saw that Zoro blocked the attack, his eyes widened and he let out a yelp before rushing off, leaving Zoro in a dumbfounded state.

As he inspected the dart, he found it to be blunt-ended, of the kind used for non-lethal force. He turned back to the woman in front of him, who now seemed to be unnerved. 

“Uh… I may have told him to back me up in case I got attacked.”

“I am not going to start attacking defenseless people.” He simply stated. It was said less with the goal to reassure her and more because of the lack of anything else to say.

It was clear that their threats were empty, so Zoro turned around and walked away without saying another word.

The last expression on her face was that of shock. Maybe his lack of anger at the situation surprised her, or perhaps it was what he had told her that had done the job. Either way, she probably wouldn’t bother him soon, so he could go lift some weights and drink some alcohol in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Luffy is the type to shallowly ask for anyone interesting to join his crew, but he becomes really persistent for people who he sees would be happier in his world.  
> On the other hand, Zoro is someone who became lost and was desperate for some kind of guidance.  
> That way, the two quickly decided to be near each other. That doesn't mean they have become attached quite yet. There is still much more to come.


	3. Peregrination

Peregrination [ per-i-gruh-ney-shuhn ]:

_ noun _

  1. travel from one place to another, especially on foot.
  2. a course of travel; journey.



* * *

He met the blue-haired craftsman, with the glove covered hands, when he accidentally took a nap against a half-disassembled wall. 

Everyone had been busy packing up, but Zoro didn’t have much in the first place, except his swords, a portable tent, and the clothes he was wearing. The wall he had leaned against ended up getting destroyed, but the guy simply salvaged all the usable materials from the remains and invited Zoro for drinks. Zoro never ended up seeking him out but he somehow got roped up in a gathering all the same. 

The craftsman was drinking a strange bubbly, black concoction, instead of alcohol. Zoro would never understand him, but he could at least appreciate his devotion in his choice of drink.

It was the last day before they moved to their next location for a new battle against Trykel, and for some reason the captain decided a feast was necessary to celebrate Zoro’s arrival and their departure from outside Torino.

He had mostly been left unbothered by others in the two days since his arrival, so his activities mostly consisted of training, drinking and sleeping, which was not much different from his previous routine.

The power-structure in this camp was the greatest difference. Everyone seemed to recognize Luffy to be the leading figure, but there was no other hierarchy involved. Specific crew-members, that were also the ones closest to the captain, performed specialized tasks and they formed something like an inner circle that people considered to possess the most authority. Members of this circle included: Sanji the cook; Nami the tactician; Chopper the doctor; Usopp the sharpshooter; Franky the craftsman; and the recently added Zoro whose role officially only included combat.

However, none of those members possessed the title of Lieutenant that would be fitting for their level of power, it was more like a widely recognized belief, than a ladder of authority that had been forced on the troop.

The long-nose-crossbow-guy was still jumpy around him, like he was always half-expecting for Zoro to enact his revenge at any moment. The young doctor was being professional when Zoro visited him for advice on his training regime, but was jittery around him the rest of the time.

After getting past the initial suspicion, the orange-haired woman, which he found out was the main tactician of the troop, actually got worse. She harassed him about paying her for her made up promises. He was half-convinced that she was a witch.

It was clear that no one had accepted him in their ranks, but he at least wasn’t an outcast amongst them. This was made clear by his invitation to the gathering he was participating in at the moment.

He was lost in his own thoughts, but was still vigilant, so when the blond cook unexpectedly showed up next to him without notice, he was surprised he had not perceived his presence before he got too close. Taking on a protective stance, he observed as his glass was refilled. The long-haired cook, sighed and plopped down next to him. 

He downed his drink as the moment of awkward silence dragged on. It wasn’t Zoro who broke the silence.

“What are you planning to do?”

Zoro was confused by the phrasing. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that no one plans to come here. It’s been a long while since anyone got recruited by Luffy personally, but we all found ourselves here on some of Luffy’s many whims.” He paused and turned his head slightly to stare at Zoro with his bright blue eye head on. “Not everyone chose to stay.”

Zoro stilled as he let the implications of the cook’s words sink in. People in the past had been unsatisfied by the dynamics of this quirky group and had left. Depending on how nice they were about their departure, it probably weighed heavily on the captain. He had been the one to select his recruits, and yet he had been wrong about some of them.

“Is this why I had to pass your tactician’s interrogation?” He asked, and received his answer in the form of a pointed stare. The cook looked at where the youthful raven-haired captain danced around the fire, still holding meat in his hands, laughing loudly. The way the flames and shadows licked at his skin, made him look unexpectedly ethereal. His loose clothing was fluttering with his wild movements and the grace that had drawn Zoro in, was apparent in his footing.

“Just don’t do anything stupid. You seem to be at least half-decent, so don’t fuck this up.” He learned that the cook’s Lopelian accent was more obvious when he cursed, and it made his lips quirk up into a tiny smile. 

The presence of these people was all too refreshing to Zoro. Breaking apart from the norms, being from different parts of this world, they all seemed unafraid to display their true selves for others to witness.

Craftsmen, doctors, cooks, tacticians and a crossbow-wielding dude, all of them were their own brand of complexly weird. Zoro felt like he and his absurdly green hair, that had caused him to become so estranged, fitted right in with the rest of the bunch. 

“I am not planning to.” His smile softened, and he saw the cook smirk too, as he got up to tend to the cooking meat, long blond hair fluttering in his wake. Zoro could feel that they had come to a common understanding through this simple exchange, and that no more words were needed. 

He felt himself relax with the tune of wild laughter and loud music in the background. His eyes drifted towards the captain -Luffy- once again, and he took in the wide arc of his smile. He placed his hand upon his chest, where he knew his biggest scar to lie, and he swore on his pride as a warrior to never abandon this life. Even if the people around him were nearly strangers, the way they behaved so freely, the way they accepted Zoro even without knowing anything about him, it all lit up something inside his heart that he had thought to be long dead. 

* * *

The next day a lot of walking ensued. In the beginning he walked alongside the rest of the troop. However, after the crowd was continuously following different paths and forcing Zoro to lose sight of it, Nami had dragged him towards a carriage and designated him the guard of the supplies there. Thus, he slumped against one side of it, holding his swords against his shoulder and taking a nap.

He continued to sleep until the captain nudged him on his side. 

“Ne, ne Zoro.”

“What is it?” He grumpily ground out, still half-asleep, since he sensed no immediate danger.

“Nami said you kept getting lost. Is that true?” He innocently inquired.

Zoro’s cheeks were set ablaze. “Of course not! It’s not my fault everyone is going the wrong way!” He rarely lost his composure these days, but here he was getting flustered over nothing.

Luffy’s laughter rang loudly in the air between them. “So you get lost easily. You are so interesting, Zoro!”

“Shut up, you idiot...” Zoro muttered out, before he activated his mind-to-mouth filter. He wasn’t one to receive compliments easily, especially not for something that annoyed most people.

“You know? Usopp says you are scary, but I think you are a big softie. You look at Chopper like he is someone to be protected, and you didn’t attack Nami even when she was being mean to you.”

Zoro wondered how much of what was going around camp Luffy truly knew. It was like he was a child most of the time, but whenever his beloved crew was concerned he acquired the disposition of a hawk. Zoro was aware that Luffy was observant in battle, but he didn’t think that applied to anything else. Nevertheless, he was sitting right in front of the swordsman, reading him like an open book.

“I am not a ‘softie’ for anyone.” Zoro grumbled, but Luffy’s amusement simply reached a higher level, as he continued to laugh. Zoro thought that he didn’t mind his facade getting seen through, if it meant he got to freely gaze at the laughing captain.

* * *

On their way, Zoro could see the ruins of burned down villages. The closer to the location of battle they got, the more destruction could be observed in their surroundings. 

Torelian houses burned to ashes, bodies littered on the ground, the country had been invaded not too long ago, but so many lives were already lost. Once they stopped for the night, Zoro walked up to the remains of one such village. He saw a pipe-holding figure, already standing there. Long golden hair, tied in a ponytail, fluttered in the breeze. 

“What are you doing here in the middle of the night, cook?” He asked.

“I could ask the same.” Sanji replied in an almost apprehensive manner, lost in thought.

Zoro didn’t reply, but instead grabbed the nearest corpse that lay on its front and turned it around. The cook looked disgruntled by the sight. “What’s the point in turning them around?” Sanji eventually inquired.

_ 'The eyes are the windows of the soul, Zoro. If they are facing the sky, the soul can be free. _ '

“An exposed back is a warrior’s shame. If they are looking at the sky they can at least find peace.” He explained as he continued his work. Sanji didn’t say a word more, but he contributed to Zoro’s task until no body was left looking at the bitter soil. 

When Zoro returned to his sleeping spot, he was surprised to find it overtaken by Luffy, who had been sleeping a few meters away.  _ He must have turned in his sleep _ , Zoro mused and sat down right next to the captain. Zoro felt so at peace with sleeping close to Luffy, that his mind didn’t even consider taking up the captain’s previous spot, which was located a bit further away.

He simply lied down, and slipped into unconsciousness. If anyone saw how the two had eventually curled up in their sleep, they didn’t question it.

* * *

“Zoro-bro!” The man with azure blue hair, came up to him in greeting. “Can you help me carry these tent supporters?”

“Sure.” Zoro amiably agreed and soon he was helping the craftsman set up their new camp.

There were many helping hands, soldiers going back and fro, arms full with materials and supplies, but Zoro somehow ended up especially close to Franky.

On one of their breaks, they sat on some planks of wood piled together, wiping their sweat. That was when the craftsman took off his gloves, revealing a metal arm underneath. Zoro wasn’t one familiar with mechanics by any means, but he had never seen anything like it. Fingers moved independently and he would have never noticed it had it remained under the protection of fabric.

The craftsman, noticing his stare, let out a laugh. “Awesome, isn’t it?!” he exclaimed cheerfully and Zoro could only nod emphatically in response. “I made it myself. It took a couple of years to perfect it, but now it works better than my own flesh and bones!” He paused in his enthusiastic explanation once he noticed the serious expression on Zoro's face. “Are you thinking that it’s pitiful?” His smile fell a little bit. 

Zoro’s gaze retracted from the metal and met Fanky’s eyes head on. “I was just thinking that I would probably lose to you in hand-to-hand combat.” He stated honestly and there was a moment of silence, before the craftsman burst out laughing, even louder than before. 

“Luffy-bro has a good eye for these things after all.” He admitted eventually, talking to himself, as he walked away, leaving Zoro in a state of confusion. He didn’t know what he had done to earn the craftsman’s trust, but he was getting used to the crew’s weird behavior so he shrugged it off and continued his work.


	4. Perception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, shitty-cook?”
> 
> “What is it, marimo-bastard? Can’t you see I am working here?” Sanji replied in mild irritation.
> 
> “Who is this Ace person I keep hearing about?”
> 
> Sanji almost cut his finger off.

Perception [ per-sep-shuhn ]:

_ noun _

  1. immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment.
  2. the act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.
  3. Psychology: a single unified awareness derived from sensory processes while a stimulus is present.



* * *

The discrepancies in his routine were made clear in the small details. 

He could feel the difference in his fights with the blond cook about wasting their alcohol supplies and in the unique words he found to curse at him- Zoro didn’t know if “Marimo-head” was a curse native to Lopel or if it was made up on the spot.

He could feel some familiarity sparking up in his check ups by the young, shy, doctor. One time he was even used as a barrier of protection by the teenager against an infiltrator, who had gotten cocky enough to act as a spy in one of the strongest troop of the world.

In his bickering with that annoying orange-haired woman seeking her 100 Mara, even if she had charged him for no reason, he could feel the lack of fire in her words.

He could see the difference in the waves he received every time he walked past one of the most recent upgrades-in-progress of the encampment. They were performed every day by the azure-haired man and the guy who had aimed his crossbow at him on his first day. The long-nosed man had retained awkwardness in their interaction, but there was still gradual progress as time passed and days turned to weeks from the day Zoro had first arrived.

He sliced his way through battle on Luffy’s side and backed up the rest of the fighting crew-members from stray attacks. The longer he spent there, the more in-sync with the captain he became, to the point where glances were enough to communicate strategies in the midst of battle.

Outside of the battlefield, he got dragged in on every ridiculous plan, Luffy had in mind. Exploring a nearby forest? Zoro was the first person by Luffy’s side. Pranking other soldiers? Zoro was the first to reprimand and drag the captain away, or sometimes join in.

It was as if a blank hole in the camp had been filled with Zoro’s pressense, and soon enough he became an integral part of people’s everyday life.

Soldiers betted on his number of wins in battle, and they came to him when they seeked to find Luffy. Before he realized it, he became carried away in everyone’s pace and he could hardly recognize the lightness in his heart. 

All the years of isolation and utter violence that weighed heavily on heart, had been partly shoved away to make room for other emotions. 

He learned that Ussop had an artistic streak, and was the one who decorated the common halls. He saw that Nami spent a lot of her time making plans to keep the camp afloat and their army victorious. He observed how much easier he smiled around, Franky, the energetic craftsman. His fights with the cook acted as both a work out and an exchange of spirit. Whenever he had candy to spare, he saw how Chopper drooled at the sight of them, and gave them up for a good cause.

It was in one of the usual days in the camp, when he first heard the excited rambling from the troop that sat close to his napping spot. “I heard Ace-san, will be arriving soon!”

“Really? Is coming all the way here just to visit the captain?"

“I heard he had been sent on a mission in the south-east, so our camp is not far out from his way back to Rakno, in the northwest.”

“I see...”

“I am sure the captain will be happy when he hears about it.”

“That’s the only thing that will remain as certain as the rise of the sun every day”

“Now, about that betting pool we had started-”

Zoro stopped listening, when he lost interest in the conversation, but he was still curious as to who this “Ace-san” person was. Maybe he would ask some of the upper-members later. If Luffy would be happy to hear that they are coming by, though, he figured they couldn’t be so bad.

His eyes flashed open at the thought. Since when had he developed such trust in Luffy's judgement? 

Surely, it couldn’t be that he had been carried away in the flow. He had grown up around mercenaries, who could steal everything one owns if one wasn’t being careful. He had never been one to trust so easily. 

His mind flashed back to when he first met the captain, to the form of his strikes, that always aimed for incapacitation rather than death, to the wide smile that had thrown him off his tracks, when he had extended his hand in Zoro’s direction. Even though he had followed him back then, he had been entirely certain that he would always place priority on his own life. Yet, now he had lost that certainty. Right now, his heart was wavering. 

He would follow the captain anywhere, but would he also follow him to his own death?

It was something that he had to reconsider, before his next battle, but for now he would simply drown his thoughts with some alcohol and resume his training. 

* * *

When he reached the kitchen, where he knew his drink was stored he found that Sanji was preparing lunch. His hand gripping a knife and effortlessly cutting through vegetables, as easily as Zoro defeated his enemies. It occurred to him that before he grabbed his bottle he probably had to ask about the “Ace” person.

“Hey, shitty-cook?”

“What is it, marimo-bastard? Can’t you see I am working here?” Sanji replied in mild irritation.

“Who is this Ace person I keep hearing about?”

In a split second the cook’s eyes widened and blood rushed to his cheeks making them acquire a scarlet shade. The distraction led him to slam his knife on the cutting board a bit too roughly and knick his finger. He let out a stream of curses as he rushed to wrap the wound and clean the area, before the ingredients got sullied.

Interesting.

“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows. “Is it someone important to you?”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You reacted a bit too strongly for it to be a simple visiting official. Where did your self-restrain go, cook?” He teased, a grin of amusement gracing his lips

“Shut your mouth, you moss-brain.” He paused. “And don’t talk when you don’t know anything.” he averted his gaze and got back to work. “Now get out of my kitchen! You can go ask someone else.”

Zoro grumbled, but grabbed his bottle of alcohol and left while the cook was still distracted and didn’t notice the absence of the beverage. He could always dig the answer out of Ussop if no one would tell him otherwise. 

* * *

His quest for information on this mysterious “Ace” figure was long forgotten after a good workout. It was already past nightfall, so his way back to his tent was only illuminated by carefully placed torches. He paused when he saw a torch further out, away from most tents. In the darkness it flickered like a beacon, igniting Zoro’s curiosity and leading him to the clearing. 

He was surprised to find Luffy near the torch, sitting on the ground, his hands placed behind himself for support as he stared at the open sky. It was uncharacteristic of him to not be bouncing around with energy, but everyone had quiet moments, Zoro figured- even people like Luffy.

He smiled upon seeing Zoro standing in front of him. “Wanna join me?”

“What are you looking at?” Zoro asked as he lied down next to the captain, eyes glued to the sparkling stars spread like a vast sea upon their heads.

“You are so silly, Zoro! I am looking at the stars, of course!” He let out a laugh. “What else could I be looking at?”

Zoro shrugged but otherwise remained silent. Luffy had turned his head to look up again, his wide grin softening into something tender. Zoro knew that Luffy was a warm and bright person by nature, but he hadn’t seen him so relaxed before.

“Hey, Zoro?” Luffy broke the silence with a reluctance that surprised him.

“Yeah?”

“What do you think of this war?”

Zoro knew he was referring to the war between Trykel and Toriel. The troupes from Rakno were currently allied with the kingdom of Toriel, and Trykel had hired mercenaries like Zoro, since both sides lacked a decent army.

They were both peaceful nations, and they always had good relations with each other.

“I think it’s strange how suddenly it began, but I am not surprised. People always succumb to their greed sooner or later, and all peace eventually gets replaced by war.”

Luffy simply humed in thought, taking some time before responding. “Something feels weird about this. That’s just my instincts talking, though.”

“Whatever it is, it will probably get revealed by itself.”

“You are right.” he declared, but a frown took over his features, his voice sounding pensive. “I am just hoping it’s not too late by then.”

Zoro had established that he had made the right choice, when he had taken the captain’s hand, in his first few days at the camp. Something about the way Luffy talked made every life seem significant and every trait seem acceptable without second thoughts. When it came to the safety of his own, especially, he could become thoughtful and calculative.

The way he voiced out his worries implied that he trusted Zoro as much as Zoro trusted him.

“Oh! Look at that, Zoro! It’s a shooting star!” The raven-haired man’s face lighted up again, making Zoro wonder if he had imagined his previous seriousness, but he was starting to get used to getting whiplashes from Luffy’s abrupt moods. Luffy tilted his head down to look at Zoro from his sitting position, a toothy grin and crescent eyes dominating his expression.

The moon above, illuminated the captain in a way that made some strands of his black hair look silver, softly caressing the skin of his arm as he had raised it to point at the shooting star. 

His entire chest felt warm at the sight. Something was melting in his heart and he couldn’t stop it even if he wanted to.

By the time they had finished naming constellations and making wild guesses on what shapes the stars created, Zoro felt boneless. He had been laughing at Luffy’s attempts to find meat-shaped constellations, and his smile had never left his face since. When he finally recognized the soft grin on his own face for what it was, realization came upon him like a bucket of cold water.

How long had it been since he felt so light? He paused to look at the stars once again. He looked at the vastness of the sky and saw a sea of possibility. He didn’t know what he wanted out of his place in this camp, but he enjoyed this feeling. He enjoyed the man’s presence for what it was and his thoughts never once wandered to the fields of treacherous lust, so he had done nothing wrong.

He just wanted to be by his captain’s side and support him with all he had and that’s what he would do. He eventually decided and relaxed once again. Whether he appreciated his captain’s presence, or felt soft by being around him did not matter- not in the battlefield that was his life.

* * *

The next morning he woke to the sounds of excited chattering. The murmurs from the day before had intensified tenfold, and Zoro felt annoyed that it interfered with his sleep.

He walked out of his tent and walked towards the group of soldiers closest to him. He grabbed one of them by the front of his shirt. “What’s going on?” he asked with barely suppressed anger. The soldier looked downright terrified, face a clammy shade of white, and Zoro knew he would get his answer.

“Lieu- Lieutenant Portgas has arrived, s-sir.” He stammered out and Zoro sighed.

“And why is everyone being so loud about it?”

Another soldier from the group stepped forward. “Ace-san has gained a friendly relationship with Captain’s troop, so everyone is excited to see him.”

“So the Lieutenant’s name is Ace?”

“Portgas D. Ace, sir”

“I see…” Zoro relaxed his grip on the soldier, but he was not done with gathering information. “Does he visit the Captain often?”

“Occasionally, yes. He comes by to visit when he is not busy with his missions.”

“I heard that he is coming from Rain City this time.”

Another soldier in the group seemed surprised. “But that’s so far away!”

“Thanks.” Zoro grunted out half-heartedly, as another conversation sparked up between the soldiers. This Ace must be a good person if all the soldiers are this excited to see him. It was good that Luffy had friends outside of his troop. Zoro was glad that he had people that would visit him from far away so often.

So why was his stomach sinking in his gut from a sense of upcoming danger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Long-haired blushing Sanji is the best!!  
> \- Ace is going to be appearing very very soon! :D  
> \- Comments give me life (they are more powerful than any type of Haki)  
> -Finally, a shout out to my dear beta-reader, NFx! You are amazing as always! (You may see them sneaking around in the comment section, spreading love <3)


	5. Alacrity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ace is finally in the game! :D

Alacrity [ uh-lak-ri-tee ]:

_noun_

  1. cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness.
  2. liveliness; briskness.



* * *

Sometime later he was called over by Nami. She dragged him away from his training, with the threat of adding interest to the money he “owed” her. They were apparently going over to the entrance of the camp to welcome Ace. 

Zoro didn’t know why every high-ranking member had to attend when Ace was just a Lieutenant. Captains, who commanded a group of units, were higher in the hierarchy than Lieutenants, who only commanded small squads.

He stood next to Usopp who seemed even more excited than the rest. “I wonder if he got to visit Kaya in the end...” He muttered to himself and Zoro felt that this was a good opportunity to learn more about him. 

“Who is Kaya?” He asked.

Usopp apparently hadn’t meant to say it out loud, or Zoro’s presence still unnerved him, because his entire body jolted upwards. “I-I didn’t see you there.” He noted, with a hand placed upon his surely rapidly beating heart. “Say something before you scare people half to death!” He blistered and Zoro almost smiled.

“Isn’t that what I did?” He teased.

Usopp simply gaped at him, opening and closing his mouth around half-formed words, before he admitted defeat and changed the subject. “Kaya is my close friend from just outside Rain City.” He admitted.

“Isn’t that in Ashido Kingdom? How do you know someone so far away?” Zoro inquired in confusion. 

Usopp seemed as confused as he was, because he tilted his head at him. “I grew up in Ashido?” His statement sounded more like a question, as if he was explaining something entirely obvious to a three-year-old.

“How was I supposed to know that?!” His tone revealed how flustered Zoro was. He didn’t appreciate being talked down on. 

“I literally wear a traditional Ashido outfit every day.” Usopp deadpanned, and Zoro took a moment to fully observe what exactly the sharpshooter was wearing. It was some kind of shaggy fabric that had the color of clay. It was airy enough to not stick to his skin, but was not entirely detached from his body. He supposed it made sense that in a country where it always rained they would wear waterproof clothes like this, which also prevented any sweating that could possibly occur due to the tropic climate.

“Oh...” He uttered intelligently and Usopp laughed. It was the first time the sharpshooter was so relaxed in front of him, so he didn’t even mind that he was the one he was laughing at. He felt like he was truly making progress for once.

Soon, the hooves of a horse became audible from the distance, and everyone turned in the direction of the entrance, where a figure could be seen enclosing on the camp. Luffy started running towards the figure on the horse yelling “Aceeee!” at the top of his lungs. Once he was close enough, Luffy jumped up and Ace, without even slowing down the horse, snatched him in the air holding him in a tight embrace.

Zoro’s eyes widened incredulously, but everyone else acted like this was a normal greeting. This person had to be incredibly skilled to perform such an act. Why was he stuck in the lowly position of a Lieutenant, when he could easily be a Commander? 

As they both approached the camp, Zoro could finally take in the stranger’s appearance. His hair was dark and his lips were stretched in a wide smile, both characteristics mirroring Luffy’s own. The other was visibly older, though, and his build was more muscular than the captain’s. Zoro wondered if they were somehow blood-related. No one had been clear on exactly what the relationship between them was and Zoro now felt stupid for not asking someone earlier.

He looked around to the central members of the crew and only then noticed that the cook was noticeably absent. Zoro frowned. The blond’s behavior was suspicious concerning Ace’s presence. He abcently wondered if they were on bad terms with each other, but his focus quickly reverted back to the person who was currently surrounded by the rest of the crew.

Ace reached to his horse and grabbed a packet, which he delivered to Usopp, no doubt from this “Kaya”.

Usopp's entire face lit up. "Thanks, Ace! How is she doing?"

"She seemed to be well, when I visited. However, it seems like the village she lives in is going through a rough patch. I didn't stick around for long, though. I am sorry I don't have more information for you." He seemed genuine in his apology and generally polite, something that set him apart from most people in the army.

"It's alright. I am already indebted to you for going out of your way for this." He pointed at the package. 

"It was no problem, buddy." Ace was still cheerful but noticeably more calm than the captain who was standing by his side. 

"Ne, Ace. Is it true that it never stops raining in Ashido?" Luffy asked enthusiastically. 

They fell into a recounting of Ace's adventure incredibly quickly. "-and they had these bamboo umbrellas that covered their entire bodies! The bridges were also made from roots of living trees!"

"Woah!" 

"Why don't we continue over lunch?" Nami suggested sometime later, cutting off the conversation.

"Is that where Sanji is?" 

Nami seemed to hesitate in her response. "Yes. He was preparing lunch, so he couldn't come here." She smiled reassuringly, but there was something more going on there, something that Ace noticed judging by his frown. 

"Okay, then. Let's go eat lunch." 

On their way there, Ace turned his head and their eyes met for the first time. Zoro crossed his arms across his chest. That didn’t affect the radiance of Ace’s smile, even slightly. He approached Zoro, so they could walk side by side. “Are you the new recruit I heard so much about?” He sounded almost teasing. 

"I doubt I am that famous."

"Luffy won't shut up about you so you kind of are." Zoro snorted at Ace's words. "How long are you planning to stay here, if I may ask?" 

The swordsman frowned deeply. "As long as I am welcomed here." Why did everyone think he was going to bail out?

"Is that so?" Ace narrowed his eyes in visible suspicion, yet somehow his voice remained light and polite. It made him sound even more threatening. "You see, I've heard that before-" 

"I am not interested in hearing about cowards." Zoro cut him off, but instead of getting mad, Ace seemed amused. 

"Take care of him, then. I know he can be a handful, but he is my precious brother." He said and outright bowed in front of him. He quickly straightened up again, flashed a smile his way, and moved towards the rest of the crowd to recount his tales with animated hand motions. 

Zoro supposed it made sense that they were brothers. Both seemed ridiculously trustful of Zoro, and both had earned Zoro's respect in an instant with spellbinding smiles.

* * *

After consuming copious amounts of food, the two brothers were, once again, involved in conversation, and the table was slightly more lively than usual. 

The lieutenant fell asleep multiple times, while he ate. Zoro didn’t know whether that was because of exhaustion or some rare disorder, but the way everyone carried on eating suggested that it was a common occurrence.

Everyone was present and joyful, except for the noticeable lack of the cook’s presence. He hadn’t shown up since Ace first made his appearance and Zoro was starting to become uneasy. Zoro was a creature of loyalty, and someone new, no matter how compelling their temperament, was causing a disturbance.

Ace was currently chatting with Franky, asking about the camp’s new inventions and receiving explanations complemented by spirited hand movements. 

Judging by Ace’s demeanor, he probably didn’t realize he was the one at cause. Nevertheless, Zoro was careful around him and skeptical of his sudden appearance. People implied that it was common for Ace to unexpectedly show up, but the twist in Zoro’s gut indicated that something more was at play here. Some hazard was approaching, and Zoro didn’t have enough insight in political affairs to be able to discern the level of the threat.

“Are you alright there, Zoro?” A voice from his left startled him.

“Yes, captain.” He replied between mouthfuls of food. Luffy didn’t look convinced.

“Hasn’t Sanji finished with his duties? I wanted to hang out.” Ace asked abruptly, practically sulking.

“Sanji-kun, said he wanted to record the inventory now that we settled in at this place.”

“I see...” His lips remained in the shape of a smile, but it was distinctly dimmer than a couple of minutes ago. It seems that Ace was almost as spontaneous as Luffy, because not even half a minute later his face was defined by determination. “I’ll just have to go bug him then! I can’t help it, since he is too busy to make time for me.”

Nami sighed in surrender, but otherwise didn’t comment. She was used to her captain’s antics, and by extension his brother’s. 

* * *

After lunch, Zoro found himself at his designated training clearing.

“You look like you are thinking too much.” Luffy insightfully decided, he observed him from somewhere to his right.

Zoro paused mid-swing of his weights, but ignored the comment, as he continued. 

“Is it about Ace?”

“No.” Zoro declared, but Luffy didn’t miss the second of hesitation before his answer.

“So it _is_ about Ace.” Luffy sounded neutral for once, but Zoro could tell he didn’t like the thought of possible strife between his brother and a crew member.

“I don’t have a problem with him, not exactly.”

“Then what is the problem?” Luffy tilted his head in confusion.

Zoro set his weights down and sat next to him. He grabbed one of the bottles of booze he had brought with him earlier and took long gulps of alcohol to drown his skepticism. “I am just worried about the future. This bad feeling I had for a while got worse since he came here."

The captain didn’t reply right away. He rubbed his chin, closing his eyes almost comically, deep in thought. He seemed to struggle to find an appropriate answer.

“Oh well.” He shrugged eventually. “I spent a lot of time thinking about it as well- the uneasy feeling in my gut.” He pointed towards his navel. “But it didn’t get me anywhere, so there is no point dwelling on it, right? You are the one who told me that the problem will appear by itself. So we just have to deal with whatever comes.”

It seemed like a complete lack of foresight, and yet, Zoro supposed the conclusion was logical. Thinking about something one can’t change was only a waste of energy in the end. They could only be ready for action when the time arrived.

“Yeah.” He ultimately agreed.

“Now-!” Luffy exclaimed. “I want to spar with Zoro!”

“You are too eager for an ass-kicking.” Zoro deadpanned, and Luffy simply darted his tongue out at him and grabbed his mace from where it was lying on the soft grass. He placed it over one shoulder and made a tacit indication of a challenge by becoming him with his fingers.

The match was almost therapeutic. They had hardly ever fought each other before, but the easy exchange between the swords and the mace was almost like a familiar dance.

They understood each other on a level beyond words. Luffy easily blocked his strikes and Zoro evaded the mace’s rough swings. Stepping back and forth, switching between offence and defence, a deeply coiled tension was being released- one he never knew could be unraveled. Eventually, he ended up with his back against the grass and a lapful of pure sunshine, _shishishi_ -ing at his face. Being the paradox of skill and innocence, Luffy was the incarnation of everything Zoro could ever hold dear.

Even through ostentatious, flashy battle moves, even through hard-earned agility, he could see that the sun had nestled in the heart of this boy, and Zoro wanted to touch it, even if he burned in the process.

He wasn’t scared by this powerful inclination of his soul towards the person in front of him. He was simply in awe of raw strength and a golden spirit.

“Your face looks silly, Zoro.” Luffy laughed and Zoro’s grin widened.

“Let’s have another match and we’ll see whose face will be the silliest in the end.” He threatened, but his fire had long been extinguished by the sun. His voice only held adoration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Those little pieces of information that Ace shares from his travels were actually inspired by an article on the rainiest/wettest place on Earth. It's called Meghalaya and if you are interested you can search that name and find pictures of these plant bridges and full body umbrellas. I was incredibly amazed by how people live there.


	6. Eschew

Eschew [ es-choo ]:

_verb_ _(used with object)_

  1. to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid



* * *

Sanji was not avoiding anyone. He was simply busy- or at least that’s what he told to anyone who asked, including himself.

_ I am not avoiding anyone. _

He repeated it in his head, like a mantra. It had become his calming ritual by now. He repeated it as he peeled potatoes, and he kept repeating it as he washed the dishes- a job that was supposed to be for common soldiers.

He only stopped, when the victim of his denial was spotted in the distance. Ace walked around alone, for once, looking for something. Sanji’s eyes widened, heart beating in his ears.

_ “Oh shit. This is such a clusterfuck.”  _ became his brand new mantra, until Ace passed by his hiding spot.

It was shameful to be hiding from his problems at such an age. They were not kids anymore, but that was exactly his problem, wasn’t it?

When they were children, he didn’t have to worry about shit like sweaty palms and bursts of warmth in his chest. He could say that it was a phase. He could say that he would grow out of his tiny little crush.

He didn’t expect it to  _ grow.  _ He supposed that nothing ever goes as planned when it comes to those brothers and that includes Sanji’s attraction. When Sanji peaked out of his hiding spot to make sure the field would be clear, he found the new guy -Zoro- crouched next to him. His face was harboring a half-amused expression and Sanji couldn’t handle any teasing at the moment.

“Don’t you dare fucking say it.” He threatened, but Zoro’s smirk simply widened. 

“Say what?” He asked innocently, but Sanji knew that Zoro knew what Sanji meant. “This-” he waved his hand around Sanji’s curled up position behind a half-built wall “-is already embarrassing enough. I don’t need to say anything.”

“Shut up, you stupid swordsman, and don’t get involved in my business!”

“So why are you avoiding him?”

“I am not avoiding Ace!” he hissed reflexively, and caught himself before he said anything more incriminating. “And didn’t I just tell you to mind your own business?”

“How did you know I was referring to Ace then?” Zoro responded, completely ignoring Sanji’s later request.

Sanji sighed and burrowed his face in his palms. What was he doing? Was he stupid?

“I thought that was obvious.” He heard Zoro say and only then realised that he had voiced his thoughts out loud. 

“What did you say, you marimo-head?!” He got up to kick him in the head, but Zoro simply brought his sheathed sword up, meeting Sanji’s leg with the scabbard. 

“I only said the truth, idiot-cook.” He deadpanned, with a bored expression, and Sanji just about lost it there and then.

After a long bickering match, Zoro sighed and lifted his palms in surrender, grabbing a bottle of booze from the supplies tent, saying that he was going to train, all the while ignoring Sanji’s protests.

“It’s fine if you won’t tell me, but at least talk to someone. It’s not good to keep it all in, you know” were his parting words, and Sanji wondered when the hell he started caring so much. It wasn’t that long ago that he practically hissed at anyone who didn’t behave in the ‘typical respectful way’ towards Luffy.

On the other hand, Zoro was somehow on the same wavelength as their crazy captain, so he should stop being surprised by random moments of insightfulness. Sanji took his pipe out of his inner pocket, struck a match and lit the tobacco inside. 

He breathed some long puffs of smoke, before he was ready to face the world. Of course he wouldn’t do something as ridiculous as go  _ talk _ to someone. Who listens to training-obsessed alcoholics anyways?

* * *

Sanji still lived in Lopel when he first met Ace. 

“Come to Rakno with me! This is the best food I have ever eaten!” The eleven-year-old exclaimed and Sanji, 13 at the time, had almost dropped the plate he was holding.

He had been taken off the streets as a child, by a chef that had a soft heart covered by a tough demeanor. He had worked at Zeff’s restaurant until a boy, with a smile like the sun, barged into his life.

“You came all the way from Rakno alone?”

The child nodded, smile never leaving his face.

“But that’s- That’s 2 weeks away if you go by foot!”

“Yeah, so? I wanted an adventure!”

Even a pin dropping could be heard in the silence that followed. Sanji honestly couldn’t make sense out of the boy’s thinking process.

“Oi, Luffy!” Someone hollered from outside, and in an instant door of the restaurant was kicked open by a teenager. As soon as he saw there were other people in the restaurant besides the object of his frustration, he bowed deeply. “I apologize for the disturbance.” He addressed the customers and staff politely.

The situation almost gave Sanji a whiplash. A cheerful kid was asking him to quit his job at this place, to work as a chef in Rakno country’s palace, and an unruly punk who had been looking for the kid possessed manners that would shame even the most polite of gentlemen.

Sanji almost pitied the teenager, who couldn’t be much older than Sanji himself. He probably had to keep the 11-year-old in line, a difficult task indeed.

“Would you like something to eat too?” Sanji inquired, getting back into the role of the waiter he had been performing. 

“Oh.” The teen hesitated, but eventually seemed to resolve his inner struggle by sitting on the table besides the child. “Sure, why not?” He decided.

As the two black-haired guests inhaled dish after dish, Sanji was starting to get worried about the supplies of the restaurant. At this rate they wouldn’t be able to serve other guests.

“Ah! This is the best food I have ever eaten!”

“I know right? Sanji is amazing, Ace!”

The blond blushed at the compliments. It wasn’t that long that he had been upgraded from a mere assistant to a fully fledged side-chef.

“I want to take him with us!” Luffy, the 11-year-old, exclaimed and Sanji made a few sounds of protest. He was about to start explaining that he owed the owner his life, and liked his life in Lopel, when the teen, Ace, frantically nodded in agreement.

“That’s a great idea, Luffy!” Ace praised as he ruffled the black tufts on Luffy’s head. “I am sure he’ll fit right in. Robin can help us convince gramps to let him stay.”

“Uh- I can’t- What-” Sanji was beyond words. He took a stilling breath, which didn’t quench his annoyance in the slightest. “Listen when someone is talking! There is no way I am going to join you!”

Luffy seemed to regard him for a moment, before he tilted his head in confusion. “But... your eyes lit up when I mentioned it earlier.”

“That was-” He fell short in trying to find some excuse to cover up his earlier excitement. “Anyways- I can’t leave.”

“Why?” This time it was Ace that spoke up.

“I am-” Sanji turned his head slightly and their eyes met, orbs of charcoal crashing with oceans of deep blue. A slight smirk graced Ace’s lips, and his eyes possessed a glint that was almost competitive. It compelled Sanji to throw all silly inhibitions away and chase after his true dream. He took a breath, feeling his lungs expand within his chest. “Does your palace have a some- archive or library of sorts?” His voice faltered. 

“We have Robin! She is the best historian and librarian ever!” Luffy effused with the glee and pride that could only be birthed from deep love and devotion.

Ace’s eyes were filled to the brim with pure mirth, and Sanji felt that he was making the right choice, even if it meant leaving Zeff’s restaurant. The man was by no means incapacitated and could take care of himself and his dream, so Sanji could follow his own aspirations.

His mind wandered to the stories he was told as a child by his frail mother, and later on by the big and gruffy Zeff.

“I am looking for a mythical ingredient; It’s called Misty All Blue.”

* * *

The sun was starting to sink lower in the horizon when he got discovered again. This time it was Nami who approached him.

“Sanji-kun.”

“Hello, dear. What are you doing out here?” He was in the outer parts of the encampment, in one of the backup storage places.

“I knew I would find you around this area.”

“Does anyone else know?” He suddenly felt entirely predictable, and it would be bad if Ace found his hiding place too quickly.

“Don’t worry about that.” She sat down next to him, just as Sanji breathed out a sigh of relief. “I came here to talk to you.”

“I feel so honored that you would go out of your way for me, Nami-swan.” He replied graciously, but his words were notably devoid of his usual excitement. He didn’t want to sound so muted, but his voice flowed out this way, causing Nami’s eyebrows to crease with worry.

“You told me yesterday that you didn’t want to meet Ace.” She paused hesitantly, as if picking the words to not provoke a wild beast. “He is getting worried too-”

“Nami-san.” He interjected, dropping all pretense of being even remotely cheerful. His tone was layered with a weight that made Nami stop mid sentence, chocolate eyes flickering towards his own. “It’s better for him to continue with his life, and not think about people like me.”

Instead of making Nami back off and leave the matter be, his wording somehow made her face scrunch up in fury. “What about what’s best for you?” Her eyes were aflame, her tone accusing.

“It doesn’t matter.” He insisted.

“You always say ‘it doesn’t matter’ and ‘people like me’!” Nami snapped. “What is that supposed to mean, Sanji-kun? You are one of the best god damn people I know, and he would be a fool to think otherwise.” 

“You don’t know everything about me.” He reasoned.

“I know enough!” Nami retaliated and continued her speech. “I know that you care about people enough to feed anyone who is hungry- even if they are an enemy! I know that you always take care of people you love, and I know that you put others before yourself every single time.”

She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself. Sanji could only stare, blue eyes wide, teeth gritted. He wanted to tell her just how much of a burden he would be to others, how he should have stayed in Lopel, detached from everyone but Zeff. 

He was such a fool- chasing emotion, coming to love these weird and incredible people. 

He didn’t deserve any of it, but he couldn’t explain it to Nami. He couldn’t begin to describe just how repulsive he was.

“You deserve to be happy, Sanji-kun” She proclaimed. “Be a little selfish sometimes.”

_ You would regret that. _ His mind whispered.

_ I am already selfish by being here. _ His heart weeped.

“Thank you, Nami-san” He finally uttered, words dripping like poison from his tongue. He forced his lips into a wide smile, which seemed to reassure her, but only sunk him further in his sorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally starting to get deep into both ships that will be the main focus of the story!   
> Sanji is really too hard on himself at times. Baby just needs some love and self-acceptance T_T.  
> I would love to hear what your thoughts are about where this story is heading ;)


	7. Entrench

Entrench [ en-trench ]:

_verb (used with object)_

  1. to place in a position of strength; establish firmly or solidly.
  2. to dig trenches for defensive purposes around (oneself, a military position, etc.).



_verb (used without object)_

  1. to encroach; trespass; infringe (usually followed by on or upon).



* * *

  
  


Ace would be leaving after breakfast the next day. Sanji simply had to get through the night, and then everything would fall into place again. He merely had to sleep, wake up, and make breakfast. After that he wouldn’t have to worry about breaking under Ace’s gaze.

It was a great plan - fantastic, really - until it wasn’t.

The camp was quite in the middle of the night. He had made sure that Ace would be asleep, before he made his way to his tent earlier, so he couldn’t be found out. Yet, his eyes were wide open, his foot restless against his beddings. 

This wasn’t going to work, and he realized it fifteen minutes in the plan. He shoved the blankets away with a sigh. If he wasn’t going to sleep, the least he could do was be productive. He was going to clean his kitchen. And perhaps make some bread dough for the next morning. 

The moon was obscured by an endless blanket of clouds, the only light-source being the torches that were placed in the camp’s main paths. He passed by Zoro’s tent on the way to the kitchen, heard his distinct light snoring, and rolled his eyes. 

He still wondered how their captain slept through it. It wasn’t a secret how Luffy had made a habit out of sleeping on the swordsman. Zoro always made a show of grumbling about it until Luffy was fast asleep and then always directed his stupid lovestruck smiles towards the sleeping black-haired ball of energy.

The two share a frightening connection, one that Sanji can never hope to understand. The best way he could describe it was that they both are the same type of idiot.

They often reached for each other in small ways, whether that was to train, nap, eat or share something exciting. Zoro was there to quell Luffy’s hyper excitement when needed, and Luffy allowed Zoro to relax and smile with ease. Everyone in the camp knew of their relationship, except Zoro and Luffy themselves. 

Sanji shook his head in frustration and decided to stop dwelling on it. They would figure it out eventually. 

He was strolling and taking in the humid, refreshing, atmosphere and the beauty of the night, when he heard the crunching of twigs on his right. He immediately turned around, but found that the sound had come from one of the places that were not illuminated by the torches. It was often that some wild animal made its way to the camp. If that was the case, Sanji could cook it for lunch tomorrow.

He grabbed one of the torches and made his way towards the source of the sound. 

* * *

Usopp had just exited his tent to go take a leak, when the structure came crashing down.

Someone had been thrown towards his tent, bringing it down with them.

He screamed and looked over to see Sanji struggling with a figure cloaked in black fabric. “What’s going on?!” He shrieked.

“Invasion! Wake the others!” Sanji briefly turned towards him, which proved to be a mistake, because the cloaked figure found an opening to graze Sanji’s arm with a dagger. “Motherfucker!” He exclaimed. He quickly placed his mouth on the wound and tried to suck any poison away. He spit out a mouthful of blood right on the attacker’s face and proceeded to kick them.

Usopp glanced at the two fighters one more time and continued to run in the direction of their waking bell. It was stationed in the middle of the camp, which was quite inconvenient at the moment, since he was located in the outskirts. He had no time!

Instead he pulled out his crossbow and aimed. He hoped the impact would make enough noise to wake everyone up. The arrow hit its mark and the sound reverberated across the tents. Multiple people jumped out quickly, and so the fight began. 

The camp erupted in chaos. He saw Zoro making his way through the commotion, with two of his swords in his hands, cutting down anyone dressed in sheer black. Luffy wasn’t far behind, even as he moved sleepily and yawned between attacks. 

Franky activated the traps he had set inside the camp, and Nami was nowhere to be seen, wisely hiding away until the battle was over. 

Usopp saw someone sneak behind Zoro, and before he could think any further he had fired a perfect shot on their hand, making them scream loudly enough for Zoro to notice them and take action. Zoro glanced at him, with something akin to pride, and Usopp blushed furiously. 

_“Thank you.”_ The message was clear enough to not need Zoro’s and Luffy’s crazy telepathy to decipher it. He hadn’t interacted with Zoro much, but they were comrades, so he understood what Zoro’s gaze was trying to communicate.

He rubbed the back of his head bushfully, but was quickly caught off guard when someone tried to stab him on his side. In a flash, however, a tall figure stood before him, disabling his attacker. Ace seemed to be wearing his night clothes: a thin white shirt over some loose pair of brown pants.

“Thanks, Ace.” He uttered as he sighed in relief.

“No problem.” Ace smiled widely and headed for Sanji’s side of the battle.

Usopp lost sight of him for a while, distracted by combat. He saw Luffy and Zoro’s perfectly coordinated attacks and decided they would be okay having each other’s backs. Thus, he could search for Ace and back him up. When he tracked him again and ran to his side, he had just saved Sanji from a sneak attack.

“Stupid ninja-like cowards.” Sanji exclaimed in pure frustration.

“Nice to see you too, Sanji.” Ace smirked, and Sanji seemed to realize whom exactly he had been next to for the past seconds.

Usopp could see Sanji’s face briefly transform to an expression of pure horror, before it melted back into a mask of casual indifference.

“It’s been a while, Ace-san.” He politely addressed the man. Usopp grimaced at the use of honorific. They had grown up together, and Ace was just a year older than Sanji, so it felt completely unnatural and artificial. Why was Sanji purposefully placing distance between him and Ace? 

Ace frowned too and looked as if he was about to say something, but he dodged an incoming attack instead. The throngs of foes seemed never-ending, and Usopp couldn’t help but wonder how they had arrived in such great numbers without being noticed.

After some time, though, the flow of the battle seemed to dwindle. Some enemies had even started fleeing. Usopp stopped to take a break, but immediately heard a yelp from behind him and turned to see Sanji kick an enemy to the ground, and immediately kneel next to a kneeling Ace. 

Sanji’s hands seemed to fret, not knowing what to do and upon closer inspection Usopp noticed the increasingly large spot of red on Ace’s thin garments. A dagger was poking out of his belly, and he seemed to be panting, skin pale as death. He was without doubt feeling the effects of a quick acting poison. 

Sanji was, for the first time in the years that Usopp has known him, panicking without restraint. His eyes were wide and his hands were shaking. 

“Sanji! Snap out of it!” Usopp yelled just loud enough to be heard through the cacophony of battle. “We need to get him to Chopper!”

He saw Sanji close his eyes for a second and re-open them with new resolve. “Right. I’ll- I'll take him.” He declared as he picked Ace up, one hand behind his knees and another on his back. Ace seemed to be delirious by now, muttering something on Sanji’s chest, but his words were lost in the noise surrounding them.

Usopp followed them, taking down anyone who got close, since Sanji was unable to kick them with an armful of Ace. 

* * *

Had Sanji’s arms not been trained in all his years in the kitchen, they would have been shaking from the strain of carrying Ace’s weight. Right now, he stepped around the black-clothed bodies on the ground.

“S-sanji,” Ace wheezed with a few wet coughs. “I- I- Ash-” Bursts of dark red blood dripped from his white lips and Sanji ran faster.

“Shhh...” He tried to sound comforting, but his mind was full of static and blind panic. “Don’t speak. Just stay awake for me. Can you do that?”

Ace nodded weakly but still tried to convey something. “L’v.. ah.. -nji” 

Sanji didn’t know if it was because of the static in his ears or the sounds of the ongoing fight that he couldn’t hear him, but he took shortcuts and ran even faster to reach Chopper’s infirmary tent. Usopp had long lagged behind, not being able to keep up, but Sanji couldn’t spare enough energy to think about how exposed he was to any attack. With one-minded focus he ran, fluidly and reflexively deflecting attacks.

He, too, was starting to mumble nonsense. Words of comfort spilled from his mouth without even passing through his brain. “You are gonna be okay. Chopper is gonna fix you up, so don’t you die on me, you shitty prick.”

Soon he was placing Ace on a table, Chopper asking him frequent questions like “Did you see some colored substance on the blade?” and “How much has passed since he was stabbed”.

“Blue… the blade was blue.” He remembered as he replayed the scene in his mind. 

He had been stupidly fighting two opponents at once, so when the third one came around he didn’t have enough time to deflect the attack. It was a split second later that Ace slipped in front of him, blue blade sinking deep in his guts, as he disabbled Sanji’s attacker.

“How long ago was it, Sanji? I need you to focus.” Chopper pleaded.

“Around 5 minutes ago.”

“Thank you. Can you step out of this room so that I can continue?” Chopper had entered his professional concentration mode.

“Yes. Yes, of course.” Sanji numbly replied and stepped out, before sinking to his knees. He fully sat on the ground and brought his hands up to his hair, pulling them roughly- a habit not easily forgotten. The sounds of battle had ceased by now, as soldiers filed in the tent, being tended to by the nurses Chopper had personally trained.

The ringing in Sanji’s ears though, didn’t stop until he felt a weight on his head. He glanced up as the hand retreated, being met with the sight of his captain looking at him, worry carved in his eyes as he sat down next to him. 

Luffy’s helmet was resting on Sanji’s head and the weight grounded him in reality. Sanji’s hands now twitched idly at his side not being able to pull at his hair due to the captain’s helmet.

“Thanks for bringing Ace here.” Luffy eventually said and the two continued to sit in silence, some understanding passing between them, as they waited for news on Ace’s condition.

Zoro entered the tent, fresh out of the bath, wearing a pair of clean clothes, and holding another one in his hands. “Go wash up. I’ll come fetch you if Chopper finishes while you are not here.” His gaze pierced Sanji in a way that made him all too vulnerable.

He looked at the gore that marred his own chest, reminding him of how weak Ace was in his arms not too long ago. Ace had always been someone who was strong and unyielding, always cocky and teasing. Seeing him so pale and helpless made Sanji get overcome by nausea.

He simply nodded and snatched the fresh pair of clothes from Zoro’s grip.

Zoro’s brows were set in a frown, but he didn’t say a word. He just walked up to Luffy’s side sitting down next to him, as the younger one let his head rest on Zoro’s thighs

Hours later, when Luffy was sleeping soundly on Zoro’s lap while munching on some meat, and Sanji - clean, now - had long trimmed all his nails with his teeth, Chopper entered the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliff-hanger??? oops?  
> #SorryNotSorry  
> Who were these mysterious attackers? Who were they targeting? The plot thickens...


	8. Compunction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is a new year. 2021.  
> Nothing could be worse than 2020, right? _Right?_  
>  Let's see how this goes...

Compunction [ kuhm-puhngk-shuhn ]:

_ noun _

  1. a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse.
  2. any uneasiness or hesitation about the rightness of an action.



* * *

“I did all I could.” He announced. “The rest is up to him.” The young doctor seemed positively and utterly exhausted. 

“Thanks, Chopper.” Sanji got up and wrapped his arms around his small frame, feeling the teenager melt in his hold. “Go take a nap, okay?”

“B-but-”

“I’ll let you know if something happens.”

The chestnut-haired boy relented and sighed. “Okay, but if he starts sweating, panting or wheezing wake me up right away.”

“Got it. He’ll be fine. He has the best doctor treating him.”

“Compliments won’t get you anywhere, jerk-face!” He said, but a blush was dusting his cheeks and a small smile gracing his delicate lips, as he removed himself from Sanji’s hold and entered a room nearby, where an available bed, reserved for doctors and nurses, was.

He paused right before he entered entirely, “You’ll wake me, right?”

“Yes.” Sanji responded “Go sleep, little reindeer.”

“Hey! I told you not to call me that! I don’t even look like a reindeer!”

After some fuss, Chopper was deeply asleep, and Sanji sat by Ace’s side. Zoro was guarding the room by sitting right outside, with Luffy still napping on him.

He finally looked at the sleeping figure in front of him. Ace was still pale, but he wasn’t heaving up blood anymore, so Sanji supposed he was slightly better than before. Strands of black hair were stuck on his forehead from his earlier cold sweat that had caused his shivering in Sanji’s hold. Sanji brought his hand forward, until he was brushing up the black strands, softly running his fingers through that raven-colored hair. 

As soon as he realized what he was doing, he retracted his hand abruptly, as if he had been burned. 

Sanji let out a long sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. “What am I even doing?” He spoke to himself, not really expecting any answer. Therefore, he wasn’t surprised by the silence in the room.

“I was supposed to stay away and forget about you.” He muttered bitterly and looked away, but before long his gaze was drawn back to the sleeping figure. There was something in the way the skin between his eyebrows was slightly creased, that indicated that his sleep wasn’t peaceful.

He sat a little closer and started brushing his hand through his hair again. The man slowly relaxed again, until he was back to his previous calm state. A tiny smile made its way to Sanji’s lips. 

_ Some things never change.  _ He thought.

* * *

The first time he had brushed Ace’s hair like this was in a spring afternoon, a few months after he had first arrived in Rakno. 

Sanji had been sitting under a blossoming tree, reading a cooking book about some obscure aspect of Raknorian cuisine. He had become an apprentice to the Head Chef of the castle, and it was within his duties to study everything about this country’s food culture.

Ace had approached, sweat glistening in his skin in the afternoon sun, and plopped down next to him, setting his head on his shoulder.

“What are you reading?” He had cheerfully asked, and Sanji remembered being slightly annoyed by his recent lack of manners around him. He had always been perfectly polite to everyone else, but was always straightforward and casual around Sanji. Was Sanji not respectable enough to deserve proper treatment.

“You stink.” He had, thus, replied, even if he knew Ace had just finished a very grueling training session. 

Ace simply laughed loudly and freely, in a way that made Sanji forget his previous frustration. “That must not be an interesting book.”

“That wasn’t the title, you asshole!” Sanji quickly blistered, a blush of embarrassment dusting his cheeks. 

Ace just laughed harder at that, this time wrapping his arms around his belly as he rolled around on the grass.

“Ha. Ha. That was very funny, you jerk.” Sanji deadpanned, but there was no fire in his words, nor real frustration to be heard.

When Ace’s laughter eventually ceased, he turned towards Sanji and smiled. “Let me lie on your lap?” He asked, even though he was already moving towards fulfilling his own request, without waiting to hear Sanji’s response.

“Hey! Who gave you permission?” He asked as he closed his book and set it at the side. He wouldn’t win an argument against Ace, anyway.

“ _ You  _ did! A few days ago you said very clearly ‘If you ever need anything you can just ask me, Ace’.” He parroted his words with a voice that sounded nothing like Sanji.

“I was referring to food! You missed lunch time and was going to wait until dinner to eat!”

“That happened because the cooks hate me! They only make food for me at the designated times, because Luffy is around.” He paused and then smirked at him. “And you should have also specified what you meant by ‘anything’.”

Sanji’s blush hadn’t retreated from his face and Ace wasn’t helping at all. He groaned in faked frustration. “Fine! Lie on my lap all you want, Ace _ -sama _ !”

“Hey!”

They bickered some more until Ace closed his eyes and his breathing slowed slightly. Sanji had then experimentally stroked his hair, the older boy smiling at him as he opened one eye to look at Sanji. He hadn’t commented on it, but he had leaned in to Sanji’s touch, so the Chef’s apprentice continued until he heard a voice yelling from the distance.

“Sanjiiiiii! Fooooood!”

He had chuckled, and felt Ace silently laugh at his brother’s ministrations too.

* * *

He had just fallen asleep, when his captain shook him awake. 

“Saaanji.” He dragged on the first syllable of his name as he poked at his cheek. 

“What is it, Luffy?” He groggily responded, rubbing his eyes.

“I will be doing the Ace-watching now!” He declared. “You go to sleep.”

“I don’t need to-”

“Captain’s orders.”

Sanji stared at him. Luffy didn’t often use his authority to win an argument, which made the times that he mentioned his status all the more significant. Luffy’s stare was unyielding, leaving no room for defiance. Sanji sighed, but got up and walked out of the tent without another word. 

Right outside, Franky had taken Zoro’s place. “Are you alright, Sanji-bro?” He asked, worry evident in his expression. 

“I will be, when the bastard finally wakes up.” He groaned in frustration as he struggled to light the match with his shaking hands.

“Come here, bro” He opened his arms widely, indicating his intentions. Sanji felt too raw to care about curious onlookers and let himself get hugged by the broad-shouldered man. In contrast to his appearance, Franky was a good hugger, and Sanji finally believed Robin on this as he felt his eyes leak on the man’s shirt. He let all the tension transfer to shudders, as Fanky rubbed circles on his back. Franky didn’t say anything else, but he smiled and nodded at Sanji, when the hug was finally broken. The older man then took Sanji’s matchbox and lit one for him. Sanji left with a faint ‘Thanks’ leaving his lips.

He was still puffing on his lit pipe, when he found himself outside his tent. He hadn’t even realized he had walked here on his own, mind full of last night’s memories. He idly wondered if the other cooks were doing alright without his guidance this morning. However, as soon as his head hit the pillow, the only thoughts that chased him in his dreams were of black hair and thick red blood dripping off his hands.

* * *

A quick strategy meeting, performed by Nami, informed everyone on the details of the attack that occurred the day before. The poison used by the attackers had been analyzed by Chopper, and was recognized to be a special weapon of a certain group of assassins. They possessed no recognizable characteristic in their clothing, nor some written letter, that could lead them to whoever had hired them. 

They were basically in the dark with three casualties and several more soldiers out of order, resting in Chopper’s infirmary. Nami has sent a letter to Robin via a trained eagle - Pigeons could not survive the rough climate and dangerous predators that nestled in Rakno’s precipitous cliffs -, informing her on the situation as well as Ace’s state, and requesting an investigation in the archives for some clue. 

Sanji could tell that the assassins were too well-trained and expensive to leave a trail that led to their client. It would be a small miracle if Robin could find any clue in the archives about them. 

It would be easier to make an assumption based on the collective image of current politics. If they could determine what their target was, they could make some guesswork on who their client was. However, any assassin who wasn’t killed in the battle, either fled or committed suicide to avoid capture.

They were out of trails to follow in their investigation, so everyone carried on, repairing the camp, and making supply runs. Franky had created elaborate gravestones for the three soldiers that had fallen in the invasion, just like he did after every battle. Thus, time passed and Sanji busied himself in the kitchen, making more nutritious meals for the injured. In the nights, he stopped by the infirmary tent and sat by Ace, muttering unheard apologies.

A week passed and Sanji looked worse for wear. People didn’t say it to him directly, but their eyes did when they looked at him. They were always filled with either worry, pity or shock. He was hanging on by a thread at this point, and he knew it. 

He had only ever wanted for the one he loved to be happy. Instead, he would die, because of Sanji’s carelessness. All his effort to suppress his feelings, to put some distance between them, even while it tore at his heart, would have been for nothing.

The invasion had validated Sanji’s thoughts. If he weren’t in Ace’s life, Ace wouldn’t have been lying on that bed, slowly dying. If it weren’t for him, Ace would be on his way to Rakno, to get some rest before his next mission. He always attracted bad luck.

And yet.

And yet, this burning feeling in his chest would not disappear. He yearned to be by Ace’s side, even if he knew it would only make everything worse.

_ If he is going to die, I want to at least save his memory in my mind.  _ He thought, and he continued sitting on Ace’s bedside every night.  _ And if he lives, I want to say goodbye. _

“I love you,” He had one time uttered in his grief, alone and desperate. Even through all the uneasiness and regret that the confession ignited within himself, he continued. “so wake up, already.” He leaned in, lips brushing the top of Ace’s head, thump stroking Ace’s slack hand.

Chopper had entered the room then, pestering Sanji to get some rest. Unbeknownst to both of them, Ace’s fingers twitched as Sanji let go of his hand and left for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, these two (Ace and Sanji) are gonna kill me some day...  
> Even the animators of One Piece ship it. Nothing else could explain the additional scenes in Alabasta and Ace's "I am gonna fuck you until you see stars" grin.  
> I rest my case.


	9. Abnegate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even if it meant having to bear the constrictions on his chest until the end of his miserable life, he would do it, if it kept Ace safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New semester at university, new schedule, new work -> Late update xD  
> Hopefully, I'll be more punctual in the future...

Abnegate [ ab-ni-geyt ]:

_ verb (used with object) _

  1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.
  2. to relinquish; give up.



* * *

It was in the noon of the next day, near the end of lunch preparations, that he received the news.

Usopp had run all the way from the infirmary, a panting mess. “Ace… he...”

Before waiting to listen any more, he dropped his knives, took off his apron and hat, and ran as fast as his legs could take him. 

_ Please don’t be dead.  _ He repeated in his head, again and again and again.

He saw Chopper exit the small room, the teenager’s eyes widening as soon as he caught sight of Sanji. “S-sanji” He stammered out. “Please don’t-” Sanji tuned him out and entered the room. 

His eyes crashed with orbs of charcoal. Ace was still breathing, and was very much awake. Sanji stopped in his tracks. He didn’t know what to say. He just wanted to check if he was alive, and had made no plans of what would happen after that. 

He was in deep waters with no way out.

“Hello, handsome.” Ace’s voice was still weak, but Sanji could still make out the teasing tone that he always used.

A drop of water dripped down his face, and two waterfalls followed. Before he knew what was happening, he was rubbing his eyes furiously, trying to keep it in. “I- I am so sorry.” He eventually apologized between harsh breaths.

Ace looked like he wanted to get up and comfort him, but he probably was unable to move, feeling the unuse of his muscles. “It’s alright.” He said instead.

“It’s not.” Sanji grunted out. “It’s not alright! I almost got you killed!” He was yelling by this point. His frustration was impossible to rein in.

“ _ I _ almost got  _ myself _ killed.” Ace reasoned and it felt so unnatural for him to be in any way logical.

“You selfish bastard! What did you do that for?”

“Because it was you.” He replied as if it was the most obvious piece of information in the world. However, it must have been as shocking to him as it was to Sanji, because his eyes widened. The walls that usually hid his vulnerability were back up in an instant. 

“W-what?”

“You are part of Luffy’s crew!” He tried to say it in a cheerful tone, his voice and tone were impeccable, like a well-practiced line. However, there was bitterness in the darkness of his eyes and Sanji couldn’t understand why that was.

Ace has always been difficult to decipher, despite his simplistic demeanor. There were moments where Sanji could not figure out whether there was some deeper implication in his words or not. This was one of those moments.

“Just promise to never do that again.”

Ace said nothing at that and let a moment of silence pass between them. “Only if you promise to stop avoiding me.” He shot back eventually. 

“I-”

“Don’t even try to deny it. You really thought I wouldn’t notice? I’ve known you for almost a decade.” His voice was almost… hurt. It was so faint, so well-hidden behind his usual teasing attitude, that Sanji thought he imagined it for a second. 

He sighed. Even if he had to leave close to Ace, but always far from reaching his desires, he would do it, if it meant keeping Ace safe.

“Alright, then. I promise not to avoid you.”

“Great!” Ace tried for a smile, but was interrupted by a cough. Chopper immediately crashed into the room. 

“Ace! Someone call a doctor!”

“You are the doctor.” Sanji reminded and Chopper paused.

“Oh, right. Ace needs more rest!” He started dragging Sanji out of the room. Sanji was about to complain about it, but Ace’s laughter resounded in the room. It was not as bright as Sanji knew it could be, nor as loud, but Sanji would pay all his savings and then some to hear it again. He let himself get dragged away, and let his heart flutter by listening to his favorite sound.

* * *

“So you are enamored with the Lieutenant.”

Sanji flinced, but didn’t cut himself this time. “Didn’t I repeatedly tell you not to get involved in my business?”

Zoro hummed, but did not look amused. “Does Luffy know how you feel about his brother?”

The blond paused his workings, considering it. “I don’t know. Nami probably does, and maybe Usopp. Does it even matter?” He turned to face the swordsman, facing him head on. 

Zoro simply stared at him, with a piercing sense of understanding - the look that was so similar to their captain’s. He didn’t say anything in return, so Sanji took it as his que to continue.

“You are the last person that should be judging me about this, anyway.” He muttered, as he resumed his chopping of vegetables.

“What is  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Zoro looked genuinely confused and Sanji sighed.

_ Oblivious bastard. _

“You can take it as you want.”

“That’s not an answer, cook.”

“The world is not always fair, is it?” It made Zoro scowl, which granted Sanji great satisfaction. “Figure it out on your own, mosshead.”

“What did you say, shitty-cook?”

“You heard me, asshole."

* * *

Right outside the cooking tent stood a certain shocked, raven-haired Lieutenant. His eyes were wide staring off into the distance. This was the day he was released from the infirmary, and had been wanting to go tease a specific cook. He had overheard something he really shouldn’t have.

He let out a shuddering breath, as he calmed his rapidly beating heart. The thumping echoed in his ears.

_ ‘Does Luffy know how you feel about his brother?’ _

The only one Zoro could have been referring to was himself. No one in this camp, besides himself and Luffy, knew about S- He immediately followed a different train of thought, not allowing that name to enter his mind. 

Ace sat down on the ground, legs too shaky to support his weight. He hugged his knees close to his chest. 

_ Sanji. _

All Ace had wanted was to be by Sanji’s side. He had been ignoring his own feelings for so long, all for the sake of being by Sanji’s side as a friend. Had he been leading him on? 

His heart was sprinting in his chest, palms clammy with the resulting sweat. Yet, his face had become unreadable. Something had shifted inside him to accommodate this revelation. He looked at the horizon with a slack expression, heartbeat slowing down.

He got up on his legs, dusted himself off, and walked away.

_ Some things are better left unheard. _

* * *

At dusk, a messenger from the royal family of Rakno arrived. They had been summoned back to Rakno territory, to the troop's original base of operations. 

“What?!” Nami practically screeched. “Why now? The war is far from finished!”

“Ma’am, I am just the messenger.” The poor guy uttered in response. He looked like he was trying to pacify a wild animal. Sanji felt offended on Nami-san’s behalf, but he couldn’t really blame him. She was quite terrifying when she wanted to be. “If you have any complaints, please direct them to the ruler of Rakno.”

Luffy, who had been watching the exchange, hummed. “It was starting to get boring out here anyway. Alright! Guys, we are all going to Sunny!”

“What was even the point of coming all the way here to assist in the war, then?” Nami’s plans were likely completely unsalvageable at this point, making her desperate for answers.

Luffy pouted. “War sucks, so who cares? I only came here as a favor to Gramps in the first place.”

Zoro, who was standing by the captain’s side, looked pensive. He had raised an eyebrow at how casually Luffy referred to Rakno’s ruler, but otherwise seemed to shrug it away like he always did. Then, his face was set in a serious expression. He had the eyes of a veteran with a battered set of beliefs, somewhat misty at times, like he was doubting his own thought patterns. Sanji didn’t know exactly what was going on in the other’s mind, but it was probably nothing good.

Franky seemed incredibly excited to be seeing Robin again, and Sanji supposed it was to be expected. Anyone would be excited to see a lovely lady like Robin. Those two hadn’t met for a couple of months now.

Usopp’s features could only be characterized by deep relief. It was common knowledge that the marksman disliked fighting on the battlefield. He was the most relaxed in his workshop, painting and inventing.

Chopper was not present, as he had numerous patients to attend to, but Sanji thought that the teenager would also be happy to find out that less patients would be coming his way. Less work for him, meant that less people were getting hurt. As much as he liked working as a doctor, he still had a soft heart and never considered his patients to be anything less than people. 

The messenger took a look at the merry bunch and continued relaying his report. “I was told to inform you that you have shifted the scales to Toriel’s favour. As such, your assistance is no longer necessary, since your goal has been fulfilled.”

Nami sighed. “Alright. Thank you for your hard work. We shall start heading towards the territory known as Thousand Sunny, in two days time. We shall arrive in approximately one week. Please transfer this information to Rakno’s ruler.”

“Very well.” The messenger now looked at Ace, who had been rapidly regaining his strength in the past few days. “Lieutenant Ace, you are to depart this camp alongside me, and arrive at the royal castle as soon as possible.”

Ace crossed his arms across his chest, and clicked his tongue, but otherwise complied to Garp’s demands. He turned his head towards Sanji, gaze unreadable. It was rare that Ace raised up his guard around Sanji, so it made him frown. Ace was quick to go back to his smiling, polite self and thank the messenger for his trouble.

Nevertheless, Sanji felt like something was missing, or that he had lost part of the general picture, because the pat on his shoulder felt stiff, and Ace’s goodbye felt somehow distant. Without another word to him Ace had packed his belongings and climbed on his horse. It felt so wrong for him to leave like this. He felt that if he let Ace leave now, there would be something irreparably broken between them.

Sanji’s chest clenched and before he knew what he was doing, he was standing besides Spade, Ace’s horse. “Visit us again in the Sunny soon, alright?” He heard himself saying, words slipping out for an instant. 

Ace paused to look at him for a moment. He seemed to study his face, something sparking in his gaze, but disappearing as soon as it was perceived. Ace smiled somewhat softly, somewhat sadly at him.

“Of course.” He replied simply, but Sanji could feel the insincerity in his words. The knot in his gut coiled tightly. He didn’t know what was going on, but he trusted his instincts.

Instead of saying goodbye, and leaving to attend to his duties, he grabbed Ace’s hand. His eyes widened at Sanji’s actions, mouth gaping open. “Promise me.” He brought Ace’s palm to rest on top of his own beating heart. Even if Ace could feel his heart’s rapid beat, he showed no reaction to it.

“I promise.” His voice was raspy, gaze downcast, eyes not meeting Sanji’s. However, Sanji had received what he had been aiming for. Ace never went back on his word once he made a promise. Sanji had to keep his end of the burgain and not avoid him, if he wanted Ace to not repeat the events that placed him to more than a week of bedrest.

It meant that he would be Ace’s friend, and act as he used to.

Even if it meant having to bear the constrictions on his chest until the end of his miserable life, he would do it, if it kept Ace safe.

He would do anything to keep Ace safe.


	10. Annex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but university has picked up the pace and I am left with little time to write :/  
> Update schedule will be irregular... (but will not be too spread out)

Annex [ verb uh-neks, an-eks ]:

_ verb (used with object) _

  1. to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.
  2. to incorporate (territory) into the domain of a city, country, or state.
  3. to take or appropriate, especially without permission.
  4. to attach as an attribute, condition, or consequence.



* * *

The Thousand Sunny was the fort Franky built on top of the wrecks of Luffy’s handmade - poorly made - building. It was located at the border between Toriel and Rakno, the country on the northwest of Toriel. The fort was technically on Raknorian territory, but was almost entirely independent from the rest of the country.

It consisted of connected buildings that were incorporated in the first of many cliffs of the country. Technically the country had not claimed the cliff sides as part of the country. That is because, before the Thousand Sunny was sculpted into the mountains, the cliffs were entirely uninhabited, as people could only build houses on the top of the mountains, where plains of flat ground were located. 

Thus, the global debate on whether or not the territory really belonged to Rakno, was still on-going. It was through a temporary treaty that the situation had been resolved. The matter was to be discussed at a later time, when war didn’t plague the neighbouring territories.

Some distance ahead of him, he could see Zoro and Luffy walking together. Zoro’s hand was tightly held in the captain’s. “We don’t want Zoro to get lost, right?” Luffy had said some time before, and Zoro had immediately relented, letting out a heavy sigh, but allowing the raven-haired captain to clasp his hand.

Luffy was currently talking animatedly about something, gesticulating wildly with his one available hand. For someone who witnessed this for the first time, Zoro didn’t seem like he was paying attention to the conversation, but the inner circle of the troop could tell from the small smile on his face and the occasional quiet snickering, that it wasn’t the case. 

Zoro had been an unexpected addition, but he almost immediately fitted in with the rest of them. It was like he had long claimed a position in the troop and was only now filling in the role he was meant to have all along. His presence often granted them an affixed sense of security.

As interesting as the moss-head’s interactions with their captain were, Sanji was currently more concerned about a different member of the troop. Usopp had been walking beside him, features set in a permanent frown.

“What’s got you so down, Usopp?” Sanji inquired as he took a drag from his pipe.

No matter how lost in his thoughts Usopp was, he had become accustomed to Sanji’s presence so he didn’t flinch at the sudden question. He simply turned his head to look at him. “It’s just that… Well, Ace said that Kaya’s village seemed to not be faring so well, but she still prepared a gift for me.” He sighed. “I am just hoping that she would take care of herself better. I don’t want her getting sick again.”

“She does care about you a lot, but I think all people that live in rural areas have some sense of self-preservation.” Sanji reasoned.

The marksman shook his head. “Not Kaya. She is just too kind for her own good.”

“You could visit her on your next break to check up on her, if you are so worried. I am sure Luffy would approve.”

“Maybe I’ll do that. Thanks, Sanji.” He smiled briefly, looking reassured. 

“It’s no problem.”

Just as their conversation came to an end, a familiar energetic black-haired man practically bounced over in their direction, dragging a grumpy swordsman along. “Ne, Sanji?” His eyes were practically sparkling in a way that could only mean one thing.

“I will begin preparations for the feast, as soon as we arrive.”

“Yay! I knew I could count on you, Sanji!” The captain beamed.

“Does this happen often?” Zoro seemed to be more amused than frustrated. 

“Luffy uses every chance he has to celebrate.” Usopp explained from Sanji’s left side. The four of them were walking in a line now.

“He just likes the food.” Sanji added.

“Meat is great, but I also missed Brook’s music!” He turned to Zoro whose eyebrows were creased in confusion. “Brook is our musician!”

“Why didn’t he come along in the camp?” Zoro seemed even more confused by Luffy’s words.

“Someone had to protect the fort.” Usopp supplied. 

“But you said he is a musician, right?”

“Brook is also a swordsman, like you, Zoro. I am sure you will get along great! Oh! A horse! Frankyyy!” The captain exclaimed and without any other explanation ran off to the craftsman, who was riding some distance ahead.

The marimo grumbled, but a smile was gracing his face, one that he didn’t do a very good job of hiding. He later snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Sanji and Usopp. “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while... Even non-combatant members are trained fighters, right? Why is that?”

A gloomy silence filled the space between the three of them at those words. The answer to that question would require them to talk about their time before meeting Luffy, and that was often a taboo topic in this troop. He, for one, was not about to start blabbing about it. Usopp, who was standing beside him, was probably thinking the same, because he muttered something about talking to Luffy before his walking pace increased and he walked ahead of them.

“These are two questions, mosshead.” Sanji broke the tense atmosphere, when only the two of them remained.

“Just answer, curly-brow.”

“My eyebrows aren’t even curly! They simply curve a little.”

“Same difference.”

“Are you an idiot?” He placed his hand over his face. “Why am I even asking?”

“Oi! I am not the one cutting my fingers at the mention of a Lieutenant!” 

Before his blood ever got a chance to rush to his cheeks, Sanji decided that a vague answer would pacify Zoro enough to leave him alone. “Fighting is a skill that is highly valued in Rakno.”

“Is that so?” Zoro still didn’t look convinced, but he seemed to realize that he wouldn’t be getting anything more out of him. “Let me know if that answer changes.” he declared eventually, and headed towards the captain, only to suddenly turn to the left for no specific reason.

_ Seriously… How can someone get lost in a straight line? _

“Wrong way, idiot!”

“Fuck off, bastard.”

* * *

The sounds of his footsteps echoed in the deserted hallway, as his boots came in contact with the marble floors. The palace of the former king was currently open to all the people in the country except from a section that was used as a parliament, where the current ruler listened to the opinion of the people. Garp had taken over as a ruler more than fifteen years ago, yet he still vehemently refused the title of king.

The young lieutenant pushed open the heavy door that led to the ruler’s central office. Maps had been stung on the walls and the books had been placed in a neat order all around the room. Dark, velvety curtains were open to not restrict the flow of sunlight in the room. Dust particles could be seen floating around, where the light penetrated the room through the windows. They seemed to be dancing to some unknown tune, some unheard melody.

The old man was sitting behind a large desk. Strewn on it were several wooden pawns that represented enemies and allies alike.

“Gramps.” Ace greeted.

“I told you to call me Grandpa, you little brat!” Garp chided, but there was no anger underlining his words. Ace simply smirked at that. “How is your brother doing? I received a report that you visited him right before the invasion to his camp.”

“He has a loyal crew looking after him. No need to worry.” Ace reported.

“And you? I heard you were injured in battle.”

“I am better now. Although, my doctor suggested at least one more week of rest.”

“I am afraid that matters might not wait for your recovery.” Garp sighed, sounding genuinely apologetic. “I’ll see that you receive that rest, but urgent events might still require your presence.”

“I understand.”

“In the meantime, as you recover, I have a small request of you.” He paused. “A certain individual was found near the borders of Rakno and Toriel. He is now under our custody. Typical interrogation methods have fallen through. Could you keep an eye on him?”

Ace raised an eyebrow in question. “Just watch him? You don’t want me to interrogate him?”

“I think that you can assess the situation by yourself and find the most appropriate method to extract information.”

“Sure. I’ll be bored with nothing to do, anyway.”

“Now, fill me in on what you could not state in your written report. There are no ears in this room.”

“I came in contact with a member of the revolutionary army of Trykel. They said that-” Ace quickly summarized the newfound information he had collected from his mission, and watched as Garp’s eyes widened incredulously. 

“Has that been confirmed?”

“I’ll be working on that. As of now, there is no concrete evidence.”

Garp ran a hand through his hair, his features morphed into an uneasy expression. “I see.” He took a deep breath before looking at him in the eyes. “Ace, please be careful. This is a very delicate situation, as I am sure you are aware.” His eyes were not those of a ruler at this moment, but those of a grandfather seeking for the safety of his grandson.

“I am always careful, gramps.”

“Good.” He nodded to himself, but paused as he analyzed Ace’s words in his head. “I told you to call me Grandpa, you ungrateful brat!”

Ace merely laughed as he exited the room.

* * *

Sanji watched as Zoro’s face struggled to contain his astonishment and awe of the contraptions that were lifting them in parallel to the cliff and towards their fort. Rakno had been isolated from the rest of the world for a long time before the creation of this machine. It consisted of ropes tied to wood, reaching all the way up the seemingly endless cliffs. 

Of course, Franky had built an advanced lift specifically for reaching their fort. It could only be accessed by people who possessed one of the three keys. One key was in the possession of Nami (It was not given to Luffy himself for obvious reasons). Another belonged to Robin, the person that usually remained close to her precious book collection in the fort. The last one used to be kept by Franky, the creator himself, until it was given to Ace to encourage his visits.

Of course, the fort could be reached by stairs as well, but only few individuals knew where the access to those was located. Franky often bragged about the multi-layered security making their fort impregnable. The fort itself was truly a marvel of architecture, combining aesthetics with practicality. Sanji couldn’t blame Zoro for being so shocked at the sight.

As soon as they reached the top, Luffy almost tackled Robin to grab his hat from her hands. He threw his helmet carelessly on the ground and put on the strawhat that fitted him in such a surreal way, it looked like it belonged on the captain’s head a lot better than armor ever could. Sanji didn’t stick around for much longer. Instead, he headed straight for the kitchen. He had a feast to prepare for. 

When night cascaded the horizon, and Sanji’s skin was warmed by the orange light of fire, he joined his crazy captain, Usopp and Chopper for a dance. Their shadows created rhythmic patterns on the walls of the outdoors banquet hall, as energy buzzed in their bloodstream.

Even though Sanji still felt he was being selfish by being there, at least he knew to enjoy himself in the presence of his real family for as long as he could. Even if Ace’s absence weighed on his heart, at this moment he felt loved. With Nami clapping along the melody of Brook’s song and Zoro drinking the night away, with Chopper, Usopp and Luffy urging him to dance along, with Franky next to Robin smiling softly at the sight of the four of them around the fire, he felt warm. 

For a single moment he ceased to worry about the haunting past and the uncertain future. For a moment, he lived in the present and deep down wished this would last forever.

* * *

*~ End of Act One ~*

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who would like to be able to differentiate between all the places in this fic I have gathered them here:  
> Territories  
> Rakno: a country led by Garp. It is built on mountaintops and surrounded by uninhabitable cliffs on all sides.  
> Lopel: The place Sanji grew up in. It is a country next to the little water of this world, famous for its navy and culture.  
> Toriel and Trykel: twin kingdoms who were always on friendly terms before the war between them started. That’s why none of these two kingdoms had a powerful army. Toriel requested assistance from Rakno (the neighbouring kingdom), while Trykel hired mercenaries (like Zoro).  
> Ashido: A kingdom of rain. Famous for its city-like capital.  
> Dorva: It is an unofficial country, a lawless area. It is built in an area surrounded by cliffs. It is technically in the middle of Rakno territory, surrounded by all the cliffsides making it seem like a botomless pit, but not governed by it. Thus, a lot of fugitives and exiled people have gathered in that area.  
> Nakira: A small village in Naramo. People who lived there had abnormal hair-colors. They were eventually taken over along with the rest of country by a neighbouring kingdom (Asphal)  
> Naramo: a country of the South who was taken over by Asphal Kingdom.


End file.
